This week’s Woman Crush Wednesday goes out to Terri Wiley, Development Director for our long-term partner, Store to Door. Terri has spent her entire career championing nonprofits but didn’t recognize it as a valid career path right away. Years of education, interning and volunteering brought her to where she is today – a hardworking and respected leader in the nonprofit sector.
When she was young, Terri became familiar with occupational segregation and the impact of gender inequalities. Although she didn’t have the words to identify it at the time, it did have a major impact on her professional and personal aspirations. So did working with marginalized residents of Clark County, which she did as an AmeriCorps Vista member at the Free Clinic of Southwest Washington. These experiences drove Terri to fight for equity and she’s still fighting today.
In college, Terri originally studied broadcasting. It didn’t work out, but it did turn out to be a meaningful learning experience! Terri’s advice? Try as many things as possible, and if it doesn’t work out the way you expected, keep trying! If you keep trying, and trusting in yourself and your abilities, you’ll find your niche. She herself abandoned broadcasting to pursue an undergraduate degree in Organizational Communications, with a minor in Women’s Studies. She also holds a Master’s degree in nonprofit management from Portland State.
Terri’s current job is with Store to Door, a nonprofit that supports independent living for seniors and people with disabilities by providing affordable, personal, volunteer-based grocery shopping and delivery service. We don’t have to tell you, the need for these services are more ESSENTIAL now than ever before.
Over the years, Terri has graced a long list of nonprofits with her presence, energy and innovative wisdom. At The Dougy Center, she helped secure funding for the Teen Grief Journal – the first known resource of its kind. She was a project leader for Schoolhouse Supplies (another nonprofit we’re proud to partner with!), and she spent a decade with Oregon Tradeswomen. She was introduced to a number of nonprofits through her work with Hands on Portland in the late ‘90s. She is currently a member of the Grantwriting Professional Association (GPA) of Oregon and SW Washington, as well as a member of Willamette Valley Development Officers. She also helps moderate a Facebook group for Oregon nonprofit professionals.
Terri is a self-proclaimed “music nerd” and loves any game that involves guessing song artists, titles and/or lyrics. Better hope you don’t come up against her during the pub trivia Name That Tune category! She’s also a big fan of nonfiction, karaoke, hiking and spending time with her family.
